Classic plum pudding: worth the trouble to make for Xmas?

Am debating about fooling around with my Mrs. Beeton's reprint cookbook (USA poster, by the way). Anyone here ever make plum pudding from scratch, or eat a good old-fashioned one?---is it "worth the trouble" overall to fuss with? Please share your experiences! (A great, reliable recipe would be nice, too!)



(I'm trying to figure out how to boil a pudding if I do it; the big pot is no problem, but how do you tie up the stuff?--cheesecloth? old bedsheet?)

Classic plum pudding: worth the trouble to make for Xmas?
Never had the pleasure but here is a REALLY GOOD recipe and some opinions of cooks that have made it before!



SUPERB ENGLISH PLUM PUDDING

This pudding is really best when made a year in advance and allowed to mellow. It was customary to make it early in Advent — the religious season before Christmas — and use it the following year. Everyone in the family was supposed to stir the pudding once for good luck. If you can't make it the year before, at least give it a few weeks to age.

Fruit Mixture (To be made 4 days ahead)

1 pound seedless raisins

1 pound sultana raisins

1/2 pound currants

1 cup thinly sliced citron

1 cup chopped candied peel

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon mace

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 pound finely chopped suet - powdery fine

1 1/4 cups cognac



Pudding

1 1/4 pounds (approximately) fresh bread crumbs

1 cup scalded milk

1 cup sherry or port

12 eggs, well beaten

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Cognac



Blend the fruits, citron, peel, spices and suet and place in a bowl or jar. Add 1/4 cup cognac, cover tightly and refrigerate for 4 days, adding 1/4 cup cognac each day.



Soak the bread crumbs in milk and sherry or port. Combine the well-beaten eggs and sugar. Blend with the fruit mixture. Add salt and mix thoroughly. Put the pudding in buttered bowls or tins, filling them about 2/3 full. Cover with foil and tie it firmly. Steam for 6-7 hours. Uncover and place in a 250°F. oven for 30 minutes. Add a dash of cognac to each pudding, cover with foil and keep in a cool place.



To use, steam again for 2-3 hours and unmold. Sprinkle with sugar; add heated cognac. Ignite and bring to the table. Serve with hard sauce or cognac sauce.



Each pudding serves 12.

House %26amp; Garden

December 1963

James A. Beard



This is your personal place to write notes about the recipes, such as substitutions or modifications. Only you will be able to print, view, and edit your notes. Add a note %26gt;



rate this recipe

94% would make this recipe again



Kelly_from_Toronto on 10/06/06

Washington, put the French or Italian bread in the food processor until it is finely chopped. Don't put it in the oven or let it dry out beforehand. Has anyone tried butter? Suet or Crisco don't turn my crank.



Kelly_from_Toronto on 10/06/06

Oh, Washington. Put the French or Italian bread in a food processsor and it'll be nice %26amp; fine. Don't dry it out first or put it in the oven.



Kelly_from_Toronto on 10/06/06

Has anyone tried butter? I don't like the idea of suet or Crisco. What the heck. I'll blaze on. Get back to you after Christmas!



A Cook from Washington, DC on 02/24/06

Can anyone offer any advice on breadcrumbs, i.e. what kind of bread and how to prepare the crumbs? In previous years I have used breadcrumbs that had been dried in a warm (not hot) oven, but since the recipe calls for fresh breadcrumbs, this year I tore a fresh loaf into crumbs and used those. The pudding never "swelled" to fill the mold like it had before and was unpleasantly dense and soggy.



cigarman1 from Knoxville , TN on 01/18/06

This pudding was outstanding! Every bit as good (or better) as the ones I use to order from England. Everyone that had it thought it had a better and richer flavor. This will be on my favorite list for sure! It is well worth the effort.



StevenM on 01/26/05

Haven't made yet--but I have a tip for anybody looking for good candied fruit in the US. http://store.yahoo.com/dairyfreshcandy/c... This store is in the North End of Boston--the old Italian section. Order the fruit a few weeks before you need it, especially around Christmastime. No, I don't own it or work there. I was just really pleased with the quality when I made my mom's cassata recipe. Nothing like supermarket citron!



fi_burke from An expat from Ireland on 12/29/04

Almost exactly like my mother's! To the chef asking about Crisco... the easiest way to use it is to 'soften' the required amount by removing it from the fridge. When it reaches room temperature, it will very easily 'squidge' into the fruit mixture with your hands (or with a spoon with a bit more patience). As one chef remarked, The mixing does not have to be precise, owing to the fact that it will all melt together upon cooking.



MichaelLewis from Southport, CT on 10/23/04

I have a question. If you use Crisco as suggested, how do you blend it in with the fruits?



Catie from Waldorf, MD on 12/04/03

Wanted to give some help (hopefully) after reading some of your suet comments. In England (where I grew up), suet comes from the grocery store baking dept not the meat dept. It is dry and has been extruded through a small tube (maybe 2mm wide) and is cut in pieces about 1/3" long. It is not powdery and does not contain meat. Usually sold under the name Atora, which I have seen in Canada once or twice, it comes in a regular version made from beef fat and a vegetarian suet. Since moving to the USA, I use Crisco instead of suet and find it makes the pudding a little moister, but as the suet melts into the pudding anyway, its not that big a difference. Also, regarding cognac, I don't spend a lot on mine, just using the regular cognac we use around the house (say US$15-20 a bottle). I haven't found that it is worth spending extra. I do however carry on my Grandma's tradition of 'feeding' the pudding (and my cake too), by poking it, and then pouring over a tbsp of liquor over the top about once or twice a week. Christmas Pudding (as it is known in the UK) is traditionally made on Stir Up Sunday which is the last Sunday before Advent, giving it plenty of time to mature before Christmas.



Doris from Martinsville, NJ on 11/23/03

Didn't make this yet but I have used suet. The trick is to have it very cold and put it in the food processor. It is then a very fine texture and works great.



A Cook from Dover, NH on 11/22/03

I am about to make this for the second time. I'll try to answer some of the questions but I have to admit to a mistake I made the first time. First the suet does have to be powdery fine. If you don't it won't have the right texture and lumps of suet would not be very appetizing. You can process suet with about a tablespoon of flour to get it the proper consistency. I used Korbel which is about $15 dollars a fifth. Don't worry about the meat bits the cognac will preserve the pudding. I believe that the recipe was referring to candied citron which is widely available. That's what I used and the flavor was great. The mistake I made was not following the recipe precisely in the assembly. It says to add the beaten eggs to the breadcrumbs and then add the fruit mixture to that. I think its important to do it that way to get the right consistency. I added the beaten eggs last and it came out more like a fruit cake. I've had plum pudding in England and its more like the texture of Indian Pudding in America (of course it tastes nothing like it) Have fun.



Judy Seals from Catalina Island, Avalon, California on 01/28/03

Haven't tried this recipe yet but it looks great! All you cooks out there having trouble finding these ingrediants, you need to know someone in southern california! These ingrediants are in the grocery store here on Catalina Island (Vons). And I will be making this recipe next christmas.



Kim Callaghan from Vancouver, Canada on 11/30/02

Here's a good one for you all: Since I eat only organic meat (strictly), I had to ask to have suet specially done up for me. The butcher was most accomodating, but I suppose doesn't have the equipment or whatever to make "powdery fine" suet (and I didn't think to ask how it would turn out). I have it in ground beef form! Also, it has tiny chunks of meat in it! They don't seem too significant, but even cooked meat sitting around for the next three weeks makes me uneasy. I am about to use 1 1/4 cups of $75 cognac in this recipe. Does it really need to be powdery fine? Do any experienced suet users have any suggestions?



Carolyn from Toronto ON CA on 11/17/02

I am attempting this recipe for the first time and have a question. Since I don't think I have ever seen a citron in the greater Toronto area, can I substitute fresh lemons instead? Also, the bit about letting this pudding age... does that refer to the pudding after its totally steamed with eggs and all? I would be so grateful to anyone who can help me out! Its snowing in Toronto today and a perfect time to get this started! Thanks so much CW



A Cook from Toronto on 11/03/02

I made this last xmas (10 months ago) and my small family is still eating it. They seem to enjoy it. However I am not impressed with the quality of candied fruits available these days (first ingredient: RUTABAGA???), they have an artificial flavour and are not cheap either. I love dried fruits and the concept overall so this year I will try the cranberry/fig recipe on this site. To the confused poster, look up citron in the food dictionary on this site (under the "learn" link). Go to the grocery store and look in the baking aisle for the sultanas and candied peel/citron. If you don't already know what these latter are, you probably won't like them. It's an old-fashioned, acquired flavour.



A Cook from Atlanta, GA with a British husband! on 10/04/02

Great recipe! Better than the store bought ones! You can get the shredded vegetarian suet online at http://www.expatshopping.com/. The brand name is Atora. It works great in this recipe and in any traditional British pudding recipe. Sultanas are basically similar to plump baking raisens.



A Cook from MN on 02/13/02

I have a few Q. re: the plum pudding. If anyone knows the answer, please send it along. 1) where can I find a citron? Will a lemon suffice? 2) the recipe calls for candied peel. What kind of peel? Peel of citron? 3)What is a sultana raisin? Anyone-please. Thank you



A Cook from Austin, TX on 01/08/02

Still think my mother's recipe is the best, but who wouldn't be faithful to their mother?! Answer to 'A Cook From MI, 01/03/02': Being English myself, I can say that in England a vegetarian substitute for suet is available called, would you believe it, 'vegetarian suet'! Not sure if it's available in the US. (Could always import it if you have friends in GB!) Good luck!



A Cook from Pioneer, CA on 01/06/02

I made this in October. On Christmas I served it with great trepidation, as I was worried about having it sit around for so long. It was great!! I served it with hard sauce seasoned with orange zest. Yummy. A perfect end for a traditional English roast beef dinner.



A Cook from MI on 01/03/02

I am a vegetarian and was wondering what I could use to substitute for the suet in this recipe?



A Cook from Minneapolis, MN. on 12/27/01

I have made plum pudding for the past 15 years, trying different recipes, this is by far the best we have tasted.



A Cook from Newbury Park, CA on 12/18/01

This is the best traditional Christmas pudding recipe I have come across. The recipe makes a lot of pudding! Three quart-sized pudding molds, plus several few mini puddings that I cooked in custard cups. The origins of "plum pudding", as I understand it. It originated as sort of soupy porridge made from cracked wheat cooked in milk. Over time, fruits (such as plums) and sometimes boiled meats were added to the dish and it evolved into "plum pudding." With the addition of breadcrumbs and eggs, the dish has become the Christmas Pudding that we are familiar with today. Sometimes it is still called "Plum Pudding" as it is here in this recipe.



Adria from Boston, MA on 11/29/01

This is a great recipe, but I made it in a bowl since I have no idea what a traditional tin looks like. Can anyone tell me what a fruitcake tin looks like or where to buy one??



mary claybern from memphis tenn on 11/23/01

a old time christmas pudding a slice of the pass verry good. i was looking a long time for one from my childhood thank you very much it verry good



A Cook from Montreal, Canada on 12/24/00

The "Plum" in plum pudding has never had anything to do with plums. It's from the process of "plumming," which is to say, plumping the raisins before use.



A Cook from Winnipeg, Mb. on 12/22/99

actually raisins have always been called raisins, the origin of plum pudding was "plum porridge"stemming from a dish called "frumentry"(which I have a recipe for), and yes, using plums or prunes, these were later replaced with raisins, sultanas and currents by the end of the 17th century, it was a steamed pudding and the plum name stuck



A Cook from Florida on 12/11/99

This is a truly wonderful dessert. I made one in a traditional tin and put the rest into wide mouth canning jars (Pint size). They slid easily out of the jars and made lovely small desserts. I also made hard sauce (1 C 10X, 3 1/2T butter, 3/4 T brandy and dash of cream) to serve over the hot pudding.



A Cook from Madison, WI on 12/09/99

A note on "plum" pudding: When used in puddings or cakes, raisins are known as plums. There are no plums, per se, though prunes or other dried plums may be successfully used as part of the fruit in a pudding recipe.



A Cook from HALIFAX,NOVA SCOTIA.CANADA on 11/20/99

GREAT XMAS DESERT,



A Cook from Houston TX on 10/02/99

Where are the plums?
Reply:I have never had this, but here's a recipe if you want to try it...

(To reheat, wrap pudding in aluminum foil and heat in oven at 350* for 1 hour.)

"English Plum Pudding" - 16 servings



1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. mace

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 cups cut-up raisins (1/2 pound)

2 cups currants (1/2 pound)

3/4 cup finely cut-up citron (1/4 pound)

1/3 cup EACH cut-up candied orange and candied lemon pee.

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs

2 cups ground suet (1/2 pound)

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs; beaten

1/3 cup currant jelly

1/4 cup fruit juice

Hard Sauce (recipe follows)



Grease well 2-quart ring mold or turk's head mold. Measure flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg into large bowl. Stir in fruits, nuts and bread crumbs. Mix suet, brown sugar, eggs, jelly and fruit juice. Stir into flour-fruit mixture. Pour into mold. Cover mold with aluminum foil.

Place rack in Dutch oven and pour boiling water into pan up to level of rack. Place filled mold on rack. Cover Dutch oven. Keep water boiling over low heat to steam pudding 4 hours or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (If it is necessary to add water during steaming, lift lid and quickly add boiling water.) Unmold; cut into slices and serve warm with Hard Sauce.

(NOTE: If using self-rising flour, decrease soda to 1/2 teaspoon.)

(TIP: For a good old-fashioned flaming pudding, pour heated brandy on unmolded pudding and light with a match.)



HARD SAUCE:

1/2 cup butter or margarine; softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tsp. vanilla



Mix thoroughly all ingredients. If desired, for a fluffier sauce, beat 1 egg white until stiff peaks form; blend into sauce. Chill at least 1 hour.
Reply:I tried it a few years ago..

Gosh aweful.............YUCK

Dont waste your time